Sunday, April 10, 2011

Understanding Biblical parables: In which kuri gives you the benefit of his vast half-vast Biblical knowledge by explaining the parables of Jesus for the modern reader.

This week we'll cover the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares (Matthew 13:24-30).

The parable

Jesus sez (KJV):

The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:

But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?

He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

The cultural context

"The Enemy Sowing Weeds"

"Tare," of course, is a Biblical word for "weed" (the kind that grows where it's not supposed to, not the kind you smoke). Biblical translators and scholars like to use words like "tare" because they confuse people. It makes them feel smart when people ask questions like, "What's a tare?"

The meaning of the parable

The meaning of this parable is fairly straightforward. A man's enemy developed an elaborate plan of sabotage. He expected his scheme to cause great damage to the man's crops. The man, however, was completely untroubled. He simply said, "It's no big deal. Just wait awhile and then pull up the weeds." Thus, the enemy's elaborate scheme had no effect.

Through this parable, Jesus teaches us the profound truth that everything we do is meaningless. No matter what plans we make or carry out, in the end, nothing matters. We might as well not even exist.

You've given me a lot of food for thought. Maybe ... the "bad guy" was really planting marijuana along with the food. They could grow the crops together ... making it more difficult for the drug task force to detect. When fully mature, weed is harvested first so it will be ready for use when the wheat is harvested. Nothing makes me hungrier for fresh bread than a good tare.

The funny thing is, I've heard these parables along with their interpretations so many times since my childhood, that it has almost never crossed my mind that they could be interpreted in completely different ways -- that actually make a lot of sense!

PLEASE DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!!!!!!!! The Tares are Satan's seed with EVE through CAIN, and the the wheat are Yahweh's real children from Adam & Eve down through Abraham, Issac & JACOB, etc. THAT IS DO YOU NOT SEE CAIN LIST IN YESHUA"S geneology in the NEW TESTAMENT. THAT IS WHY Yeshua the CHRIST told the pharisees they were from THEIR father the devil, (JOHN 8:44)!